Toothpicks are widely used in cleaning the interproximal spaces between human teeth and in massaging and strengthening gums that surround the teeth. Typically, the picks, which are formed of wood or plastic, are about two inches in length. This length, however, makes then awkward to manipulate within the mouth. To solve this problem by merely making them smaller would, however, create additional problems such as the risk of loosing manual hold during use.
Heretofore, toothpick holders have been devised to overcome the just described problem and to facilitate oral manipulation. As exemplified by the toothpick holder disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,892,040, toothpick holders typically have been in the form of an elongated handle having a channel formed in one end in which a toothpick is supported at a right angle to the handle.
Unfortunately, some of the prior art toothpick holders have problems associated with their use. For example in one type toothpick holder a nut surrounds the handle and when a toothpick is inserted through the toothpick support hole in the handle the nut is screwed about the handle until it partially covers the hole and engages and holds the toothpick. This applies a shearing force by the nut to the toothpick. This shearing force often results in the toothpick being fractured at the point where it emerges from the hole in the handle. In addition, manual manipulation of the nut in the region of the toothpick brings the manipulator's fingers into contact with the toothpick itself and to that portion of the holder which is inserted into the mouth. This, of course, is not conducive to good oral hygiene. Accordingly, were a toothpick holder to be devised which is inexpensive to produce, easy to use and which overcomes these problems, a distinct advance in the art would be achieved. Thus, it is to the provision of such a toothpick holder that the present invention is primarily directed.